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Old 21st Jul 2010, 06:26
  #33 (permalink)  
Bushranger 71
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: North Arm Cove, NSW, Australia
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Hi Like This - Do That, re your #32.

The Australian military (not ADF until 1974) was only able to get functional with helicopters in a very short timescale because they had surge capacity, especially the RAAF. Back then, there were enough units to justify 3 flying training schools so there were a lot of flying instructor qualified people and always a fair number of new pilots flowing into the system. I am reasonably in touch with serving senior rankers who say the RAAF is now always short of pilots and I hear similarly from Navy sources.

I do not like being a prophet of doom, but the world really is facing a tough decade at least which will inevitably impact on defence spending and it may not be too long before all 3 Australian Services might be asked: 'Which roles and units do you want to shed?' So, I foresee a shrinking ADF that might force a whole lot of new thinking in multiple respects, but I do not profess to have any answers.
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